It is frequently necessary to accurately position a vehicle within a confined space. Such a space can be defined not only by a physical structure, such as a garage, but also by distinguishing markings such as buoys, lines painted on pavement and the like. Vehicles which require such precise positioning may include any means of conveying people and/or cargo on land, sea or in the air. Examples of situations in which the accurate positioning of a vehicle may be desired include the garaging of a car, the positioning of a tractor trailer truck at a loading dock, the docking of a boat at a slip, and the positioning of an airplane at a passenger and/or baggage terminal. In all of these cases, along with similar cases too numerous to mention, an operator must accurately guide the vehicle along a pathway, bringing it to a defined position in relationship to surrounding stationary structures, enclosures, or spaces.
It is not uncommon for damage to occur to the vehicle and/or surrounding structures during the positioning process. For example, in parking a vehicle in a garage whose entrance is only slightly wider than the vehicle, contact of the vehicle's sides with the garage entrance is a more than likely occurrence which could result in damage to both the vehicle and the garage. Moreover, the initial positioning of the vehicle within the enclosure or space may be unsatisfactory. If this is the case, the positioning operation may have to be repeated, thereby leading to the possibility that damage will occur during repositioning. Alternatively, if repositioning is not performed, other consequential problems, such as difficulty in unloading cargo, frequently arise. These and other problems inherent in vehicular positioning operations are well recognized, and various devices and techniques have been envisioned or devised to overcome such problems.
A common technique used to assist in the positioning of a vehicle is the erection of physical barriers (bollards) or bumpers which contact the vehicle as it deviates from the desired path. Such existing devices and techniques have two major drawbacks. First, they do not assist in guiding the vehicle to the correct position. On the contrary, actual impact is the first indication the vehicle operator has that the position of the vehicle is unacceptable. Second, the devices may inflict damage on the vehicle and may even be damaged themselves.
Accordingly, it is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a vehicle guidance and positioning system to quickly, accurately, and interactively guide a vehicle, leading it to the exactly desired position. The active guidance precludes the operator from ever allowing the vehicle to deviate from the desired pathway. Moreover, when the final position is obtained, it is correct. As a secondary benefit, the positioning operation is exceptionally fast when compared with currently available options. It is another object of the invention to provide a method for using the vehicle guidance and positioning system.